Simucase + Texas State University 

Texas State University (TXST) offers a three-year, full-time graduate program for students who wish to pursue a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) degree. The in-person program meets at TXST’s Round Rock campus and accepts 46 students annually. 

Their mission is to be a supportive, inclusive community that fosters strong advocates and future leaders through innovative education, clinical practice, scholarship, and service for an ever-changing healthcare environment.

In 2023, TXST incorporated Simucase into two clinical decision-making courses that DPT students take in their first year of the program.

“Simucase provides an opportunity for the students to develop their clinical reasoning with patients rather than role-playing with peers,” said Lois Stickley, PT, PhD, associate professor in TXST’s Department of Physical Therapy. “Simucase builds their confidence in a low-stakes environment so they can hone skills before seeing a patient in our clinic.” 

When TXST students are introduced to Simucase, they have little experience with patients, examinations, interventions, or documentation at that point. Therefore, Stickley has found it vital to provide interactive pre-briefs and debriefs to help students feel more confident and successful with Simucase.  

“In the debrief, we discuss subtleties they may have missed to help them with the next case,” Stickley said. “We also try to thread the Simucase patient’s diagnosis with content they are learning in other courses to help support student learning in musculoskeletal and neuromuscular practice courses.”

“We have just completed our first year using Simucase and are excited to use it again in the next academic year.”